Solitary Bliss
by SnowLili
Summary: AU - There wasn't much Zack would ask for in his life. The only thing he would wish for was that fate wouldn't snatch away the remaining little happiness he had in life. But fate wasn't even willing to give him that. [Zerith, Clerith]
1. Chapter 1

_Listen to your heart when he's calling for you_  
 _Listen to your heart there's nothing else you can do_  
 _I don't know where you're going and I don't know why_  
 _But listen to your heart_  
 _Before you tell him goodbye._  
 _— Roxette, Listen To Your Heart.  
_

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

* * *

Zack Fair thought his life was perfect. Or at least there wasn't much he would ask for anyway. His job as a soldier was rather flexible in dynamic, which was good for him considering he got bored quite easily. Recently he had been promoted to a commander, which means he had more administrative job than going on adventures. Occasionally he would need to head out on field though, especially on difficult missions his underlings definitely wouldn't be able to settle by themselves. And that was perfect for Zack.

All in all, he loved his life.

His late instructor had once warned him not to lose his focus. There are things called 'calm before storm'. But Zack told Angeal that storms don't last forever either. And even though Zack knew Angeal had always been uncomfortable with his overt optimism, Zack was positive that whatever might come to his life, he would definitely overcome it.

Or so he thought.

He didn't know his wheel of fate had turned—on a very fine normal morning. He woke up and took a bath, went to the dining area to find Aerith preparing their breakfast. It was just like any other day. Aerith was working on the evening shift that day as a nurse. So since she'd head out later on the afternoon, he left to the military after finishing his meal, planting a quick peck on her lips before leaving. She bid him farewell from the balcony of their apartment while watering her flowers, teasing him not to let the cadets get him—same old routines.

The day was rather peaceful too. They were sending their troops to a training regime. So he hadn't needed to go anywhere. He conducted the training alongside Cloud, laughing to some jokes his colleagues made, which was enjoyable to him—spending time with Cloud was always enjoyable. They were both from countryside and they got along very well. Cloud might be younger—around the same age as Aerith—but they had mutual respect. And he sparred with Kunsel before getting lunch with his comrades.

Things were going well, until he saw Cissnei walking up to him with a deep frown. "You never answered your phone," she complained, clearly displeased.

Zack raised his brows, patting his pants side pockets to find his phone. "Oh damn, it's not here," he chuckled. "Sorry, Cissnei, I must have left it in my office. What's wrong? Anything I can help you with?"

He heard Cissnei's soft huff before she gestured towards his office. "Vincent had been trying to reach you since lunch hours. You better go and answer him. He's on your line."

Zack's lips curved into a grin, eyes watching her amusingly. "I'll go get it right away. You shouldn't frown too much. Your wrinkles are starting to go visible."

"What?" Cissnei's voice raised, eyes glaring into his menacingly.

"I was joking!" Zack laughed, hands raised apprehensively as he quickly jogged towards his office. "You need to let loose. Let's go for a movie later tonight. Cloud and Tifa are joining too!" he added before disappearing behind his door.

Cissnei had to roll her eyes at that.

His grin never left his face, not even when he picked his office phone and greeted the man who was Cloud's acquaintance. Nothing exactly crossed his mind about why Vincent would even want to talk to him of all people. Not until his first sentence knocked his eardrum.

"Zack? I tried to reach you since a few hours ago. I'm sorry about this, but you are listed as first of kin."

And that was when his whole world crumble.

"It happens to be that Aerith was involved in an accident on her way here to the hospital," Vincent's voice sounded so distant to his ears. "And she lost her consciousness."

* * *

The air around her felt rather familiar but oddly stuffy. Her throat felt sore as if she might have swallowed grains of sands all along. Her head was throbbing, and the moment her eyes cracked open, her vision was rather blurry. But she could easily make the image of her friend donned in black and red outfit.

"Vincent?" her voice croaked.

Vincent's impassive glance was trained on her, with a lady in a nurse uniform was standing next to him. Aerith recognized her as one of the newly transferred one. They were supposed to be on the same duty that day. Until... Images of a car running through her and how she was blown to the side of the road flashed through her mind.

"I had an accident?" her eyes were wide, looking up questioningly.

"You lost consciousness for a few hours after being hit by a car. But your airway was sustained so there was no intubation needed," Vincent said monotonously. "Other than that, you only had a few superficial wounds and your CT Brain is normal. I think you only had some concussion in your head."

Aerith giggled playfully, closing her eyes a bit to ease her headache. "That explains why I feel like being run down by a truck. It feels like starring in a movie."

Vincent scrunched his face. "Not funny. You could have died," the seriousness of his tone had chased away all her intentions of making light of the situation. "That aside, there is something else I'm worried about," Vincent added. "Can you tell me your name?"

"Huh?" she looked perplexed.

"I need to confirm something. Please answer," his tone hadn't changed. "What's your full name?"

She still didn't get it. But she answered anyway. Vincent wasn't the type of person to joke around. It was simply not engrained in his DNA to. "Aerith Gainsborough."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty five."

"And do you remember me?"

She nodded. "Vincent Valentine."

"Do you remember your family and your job?"

"I do. Perfectly."

She noticed how Vincent's shoulders seemed to slacken a bit, probably satisfied with her answer. "Seems like nothing goes wrong with your head and memory. That's good," he nodded, pivoting his heels to leave her ward. "You can continue resting. You don't seem to be suffering from a brain injury or cognitive setbacks. So you'll be fine and good to leave in a day or two."

She chuckled, nodding in agreement. "Thank you, Vincent. Sorry for worrying you."

He seemed to dismiss her kind remarks as he walked out of her room with a simple, "I already contacted your family about your condition. They're probably on their way."

Aerith gave Vincent and the nurse a soft smile, watching them exited her ward leaving her by her own. Considering the impact of the hit, she was thankful enough she was rather lightly injured. She was just a bit guilty that she might have worried Elmyra too much with this—when really, there's nothing to be worried about. Though why Vincent had addressed her adopted mother as 'they' was beyond her. She only had one adopted mother. That surely didn't quantify as 'they'. Then again, Vincent had always been the quirky one. So she supposed she could let this one slide. After all, he was the doctor who had saved her life that day.

* * *

He knew he shouldn't ditch his job in the middle of it especially when the training regime wasn't entirely done. But Zack couldn't care less. He already asked Cloud to take over anyway. Right then, his mind was filled with only one.

His steps halted when he reached Aerith's ward, boots screeching a bit on the floor as he rushed to the side of her bed. "Aerith!" his eyes scanned her being once he reached her bed. He immediately felt a surge of relief when he saw that she wasn't as badly injured as he imagined. Sure, she had a few bandages here and there, but none seemed too serious.

"Oh god, Aerith, you're okay," he heaved a relieved sigh, sitting opposite to her on her bed. His hands swiftly pulled her into his arms, hugging tighter than he ever had. He was fairly larger built than her, and he was stronger so he was usually extra careful at holding her. But his heart and mind was a mess. He just needed to feel her, to know that she was there, that she was real. "I was damn worried when they said you got into an accident. I thought I was going to lose you. It scared the shit out of me. I don't know what would become of me if something had happen to you."

"I'm sorry for worrying you," her voice muffled against his chest.

"No, what's important is that you're well and alive," he shook his head, holding her in what seemed to feel like eternity until he finally able to calm down his nerves from the shocking news, as he slowly pulled back a bit to stare at her. "Are you okay?"

"It hurts pretty badly earlier. But I'm fine now," she answered, brows frowning slightly.

Zack's thumb grazed gently across the bruise on her cheek, tainting her soft angelic face. But he couldn't care less about that. She was still there by his side, and that was all that was important. But now that she was in his arms again, sanity restored, he couldn't help but to feel very well aware of how unusually detached she was to him. It might be just him, but he swore he could feel her leaning away from his touch.

"How are you feeling?" he decided to ask because who knows she might be disinclined to him due to the pain from all the wounds.

"Um—" she pried herself away from him slightly backwards until her back was securely resting against the pillow. "I feel better than the first time I woke up. Vincent said I just need a bit more rest and I'll be discharged in a day or two."

He smiled at her. She was okay, and even Vincent had told her that everything would be all right. But somehow, he couldn't deny the anxiety woven in his smile. And just why was she looking at him like that? Her gaze shifted her and there, looking uncomfortable under his scrutiny, fidgeting. And Zack furrowed his brows.

"Are you alright? Should I go get you anything?" he tried, shifting a bit closer towards her.

She quickly shook her head as she looked up to him with a smile—an unusual smile. The formality of her expression threw him off.

"What's wrong, Aerith? Why are you acting so weird?" Zack's voice was soft, one hand tried to hold her slender one.

Aerith turned her gaze towards him, blinking profusely under her lashes. And Zack stared back at her, wondering what had gotten into the brown haired beauty.

"I've been... wondering since you came in here, but... who are you?"

He was staring at her vacantly, part of him still trying to comprehend what actually she meant by that. And another part of him was hoping she would have burst in laughter any moment from now saying how funny he looked like when she said that. He wished she would laugh like she always did whenever they had an idle talk and tease.

"Is this some kind of a joke? Because I honestly don't think it is funny," Zack laid back, hand scratching the back of his head.

"Why would I be joking?" she frowned in demand.

"Listen, Aerith. I know we tease each other a lot and we both enjoyed it. But I almost lost you and I seriously do not appreciate this kind of teasing at a moment like this," Zack groaned slightly at the idea.

"What teasing?" Aerith sounded protesting. "It was a simple question and I just wanna know who you are as you seemingly came into my ward acting like you know me. I initially thought you are the police officer in charge of my accident case coz you seem to dress like one. But you're being too familiar and it bothered me."

Zack had to stare at her for another good minute to wrap his mind around the issue. She didn't have the usual grin she had whenever she teased him. And he knew how she was when she was lying, but she seemed genuinely confused. He swallowed the thick lump in his throat when reality hits. He finally made sense of the distant look on her face, the inching away from his touch, the awkwardness in his presence—she had no idea who he was.

"You really don't remember me?" there was a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

She stared at him for a while more before her protesting frown wavered away, tentatively biting her lips. "I'm sorry. Were we close?"

Zack felt his heart beat louder than ever. He could practically feel the world swallowing him whole and for once, he felt none of his years of soldier practice could ever work on this situation.

"Zack Fair. We met each other when you were 15 and we started dating then. I went on a mission and was missing for four years before I could come back. Does that ring a bell?" Zack relented.

He noticed how she shifted away from him slightly, and he noticed perhaps in his anxiety trying to make her remember, he had invaded her personal space—which had never suppose to exist before.

Her frown deepened as she tried to remember. "I'm sorry."

There was really less than five times Zack had ever been pessimistic in his life. Losing Angeal was one. He wasn't going to make this the next. "Come on, there's no way you can really not remember anything—" he tried to ignore how desperate he sounded. "We've known each other since we were teenagers. We got married two years ago. You were so excited preparing the wedding you dreamt of. There should be something you remember at least."

He was almost towering her in his eagerness, but immediately pulled back the moment she showed apparent discomfort upon his move. Aerith shifted her gaze down to his ring finger where his band rested firmly. But her clueless expression remained.

"I know this must be really horrible for you, Fair-san—"

 _Fair-san_? Zack felt like screaming in disgust. Since when did Aerith _ever_ address him with his last name—the last name she _shared_ nonetheless—let alone, with a '-san' suffix!

"—But I really can't remember you. I'm very sorry."

Zack couldn't think about anything he could say anymore. He felt himself sat back on the bed, eyes fixed on the overly familiar face in front of him. How was it possible that she could remember Vincent but not him? She knew him before she even met Vincent!

He finally tore his gaze away from her, looking lost. His hands wiped his face in agony and exhaustion—feeling the most exhausted than he had ever been, which was unusual because he was never tired.

"Fair-san, are you okay?" she sounded concern for once, peering curiously without closing any distance.

Zack knew he had been lying. His life wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. He had lost a number of people in his past—Angeal, Sephiroth, Genesis, and even his future—, falling and tripping in life numerous times but he kept trying to get up again. He kept trying to find that small ray of hope to brighten what was dimmed.

This time though, he wasn't sure where he could grab the light.

"No," he whispered almost to himself than her. "No, I am not alright."

* * *

Vincent sighed, pushing his pen torch back into his coat's breast pocket, eyes darting back into Aerith's. "Are you sure you cannot remember anything about Zack? Can you try remember how you met Cloud?" the question was rather rhetoric, since Vincent knew Aerith only started to meet Cloud and the others when Zack went missing for four years after a war.

Aerith frowned. She was starting to feel ridiculous over the situation. She knew pretty well how the accident happened, but truth to be told, she was pretty much very fine. She felt _fine_. She pretty much had everything put together except one single small detail—the raven-haired man who had been staring at her the entire time since he came in. So why did Vincent have to surround her with two other nurses, looking and examining her as if she was in a situation of life and death?

And seriously, how was it possible for her to single out and forget that one supposedly very important person in her life? As if the only one? Frankly, she was starting to feel like this was a wacky version of candid camera. She was starting to really look forward to the moment the camera would whip out of the closet and tell her they got her. The only thing that she wasn't able to wrap her mind around was how they could convince such serious-looking doctor like Vincent to participate in this whole insanity.

"Come on, Aerith. Try to remember how you met Cloud?" Vincent repeated.

"I don't know. It happened by chance. He came back from a war and needed a treatment at this hospital," Aerith answered with disinterest.

"What kind of treatment?" Vincent pried slowly. If she pushed further, she could have remembered that Cloud wasn't the one who needed treatment at that time—it was Zack.

"He was—" Aerith's brows furrowed, trying hard to remember. The harder she tried, the more ill at ease she felt. Her mind was throbbing, her heart was pounding and she felt her pulse roared through her neck. And sooner what had started a slight discomfort started to be an annoying buzz, and sooner turned into a full-fledged migraine.

Aerith couldn't hear anything. And the lights were too bright, she couldn't see anything. The pain was swallowing her whole being and she clutched her head tightly at the ear-piercing sound echoing so loudly in the room. Her eyes scrunched shut, tears prickling down like rainfall and she started to thrash around in panic.

"Aerith!" Zack rushed to her side, trying to calm her down.

She screamed, shaking as she curled herself on the bed. She couldn't hear herself over the loudness of the shrill sound she heard in her head.

"Get the sedation! We need to put her to sleep!" Vincent ordered as the nurses scrambled to their tasks.

Zack tried to hold her—tried to pry her hands away from her head because she was starting to injure herself. He tried to ignore how his heart shredded at how she screamed and cried telling she was so much in pain and she didn't want to be assaulted by any questions anymore. He couldn't watch her like that. He felt his eyes burned with tears. She was breaking down and all Zack wanted was to scoop her in his arms and rock her in his embrace until she settled down.

But even in her fit, she was recoiling violently from his touch and shoved him away before he could do anything. If anything, his attempt to calm her down would just make her even worse.

He couldn't bear to see her in pain. He couldn't bear to watch her like this. And even more so, he couldn't bear the fact that he was the one she ended up like this over. And so he obeyed what she commanded him to.

He got out of her ward, closing the door as he listened to how her cries died down after given the drugs.

He tried to find some pieces of his heart that could make him smile. At least he needed it within the next few hours when Cloud and Kunsel come to visit. He needed to smile.

* * *

 **TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

* * *

Aerith scrunched her face, trying to ease the headache that still had little stinging effect behind her closed eyes. She couldn't exactly remember when or how she fell asleep. All she remembered was Vincent bombarding her with questions that somehow suffocated her. She sighed inwardly, opening her eyes to welcome the warmth of daylight. She noticed it was late evening, and she finally caught the sight of a middle-aged lady sitting by her side, watching her with worry etched heavily across her features.

"Mom?" Aerith's voice croaked.

"Aerith," Elmyra's voice was shaking, choking out tears as she threw her arms around Aerith. "I'm so glad you're okay. I heard about the accident and I feel like I almost die with the news!"

Aerith chuckled, hugging Elmyra back, letting herself sink in the familiar warmth that had been with her for almost twenty years. "You're exaggerating, mom. I'm perfectly fine."

Elmyra seemed to ignore her mischievous remark as she kissed her adoptive—nearly own—daughter, eyes obviously looked watery. She kept on mumbling how she had been worrying about her daughter, and Aerith smiled genuinely in relief. Elmyra had always been her best support, and Aerith knew by then everything would be alright.

Zack watched from outside the ward, sighing as he looked away from the warm family moment. He wouldn't want to intrude such atmosphere when Aerith finally able to relax since she woke up. And he certainly wouldn't want her to end up hurting like before either. It was stupid to hope that she would remember him again after she woke up the second time. Ignoring the heavy constricting discomfort in his chest, he hesitantly walked away from the ward.

When Elmyra finally pulled away from their embrace, her eyes darted to every corner of the room before looking back at Aerith. "Honey, where is Zack?"

Aerith didn't even bother to hide how her face contorting with confusion at the sudden question. "Who?"

Elmyra blinked, watching the girl carefully before tentatively suggested. "Zack. Your... husband, honey."

Aerith fought the urge to roll her eyes at that. Ah, of course. It was all about that guy again. Why won't they just stop this prank? She was getting so tired of this. "Can we please not talk about him now?" she sighed, fingers fiddling with the hem of her blanket. "I'm not really comfortable with this whole thing still."

"Did you two have a fight?" Elmyra asked suspiciously, a bit taken aback at how it was possible for Zack—the man who had loved her daughter to his dear life—to get mad at this precious little treasure just after her life had been in danger.

Aerith shook her head. Her exquisite chestnut long tresses swayed at the motion as she ducked her head slightly. "It's just too weird but I woke up feeling just fine and even though there's nothing really wrong with me, they said I've completely forgot all my memories about that man. I don't even remember ever being married, so I really don't feel comfortable talking about this," her eyes met her mother's by then. "Besides, ain't I too young to be married? It just doesn't make sense."

Elmyra's face was blank for the first few seconds, before grimacing in apparent shock. She forced herself to compose her wit and exhaled a deep sigh. "You... wanted to get married when you were seventeen."

"Mom," Aerith gave out a loud snort. "That's even more of a non-sense. Why would I want to get married when I was in high school."

Elmyra resisted the fact of how her sweet daughter had been suffering over the four years course when the man went missing, and her whole inner turmoil resulted from that. Aerith was sedated before she came. And by now, Elmyra was sure that had to do with her thrashing uncontrollably prior.

* * *

It was a few more hours later when four other visitors came through her door. Her mother was still sitting by her side, even though Elmyra seemed to feel a little more awkward as the time passed by. But when the guests walked in to visit, she hoped everything would be okay again.

"Yo, Aerith. Heard about your crash. How's it going?" Kunsel was the one who greeted her first. Cloud, Tseng and Cissnei were close behind him.

Aerith didn't exactly know Kunsel on close term. She was sure she never really talked to him much. But he was Cloud's friend and she was sure he was kind enough to give an acquaintance a visit. "I'm fine. It was just a mild injury. Thank you for visiting, Kunsel," her face brightened.

"We brought along some fruits for you," Cissnei offered kindly, putting a basket of variety fruits on the small table besides her bed. "I hope you get well soon."

"Oh, thank you, Cissnei," Aerith smiled; certainly pleased at the kind gesture from someone she wasn't really close to.

"Are you feeling better?" Kunsel asked.

"I'm actually going to be discharged in a few days," Aerith said. "You guys are really wasting your time worrying if you even do," her giggles echoed softly before her eyes shyly met the guy with unruly blonde hair. "Thanks for coming too, Cloud."

Cloud's eyes stared into hers for a few seconds before confusion dawned on him. Something didn't feel exactly right with the whole setting, and if he wasn't mistaken, he swore he could see a faint blush dusting her fair cheeks.

Cissnei seemed to notice this too. "What's wrong, Aerith?"

"Aerith," Cloud finally decided to ask—one of the things that seemed out of place. "Where's Zack?"

"Yeah. He ran out of the office the moment he got the call but now he's nowhere to be seen," Kunsel chimed in.

They were immediately shot by a warning glare from Elmyra as she cleared her throat. Cloud and Tseng shot each other a confused look. But they both knew something wasn't exactly right, as how it appeared to be.

Aerith's beaming face at seeing her friends dropped immediately. Really, she didn't expect anyone to understand her situation. After all, she was the one experiencing it, and she herself had a hard time wrapping her mind around it. But did they all have to be so unnerving, looking at her as if she was some kind of a criminal? She hated those eyes, as if she had just committed something she shouldn't.

"Oh, honey, let's just peel the fruits and have some, okay?" Elmyra quickly reached for the basket, rushing around to get a knife while mouthing an 'I'll explain later' to the newly arrived guests.

And Cloud, Tseng, Cissnei and Kunsel knew something not less significantly serious was going on.

* * *

Zack almost jumped away when he felt the cold pressing against his right cheek. His head whipped back to meet the soft stare of the scarlet haired lady behind him, holding a can of juice by the side of his face.

"Cissnei," Zack muttered in acknowledgement.

"Well, there you are," she handed the drink into his hand, which he accepted obediently. "We've been wondering where you have been since we arrived."

"Uh, I'm just... taking a short walk for a while," Zack tried to reason, scratching the back of his head in the process.

Cissnei gave him a soft smile before sitting on the chair just next to him, fingers opening her own can as she sipped the juice gingerly. "You really don't have to act tough. Elmyra told us about the circumstances."

"Oh, she did?" Zack grinned, opening his own can as he drank his portion. "That saved me the explanation."

"Are you okay?" Cissnei's voice was woven with genuine concern.

"I'm fine," Zack shrugged before taking another sip. "It's just selective amnesia. Vincent said it's rare but sooner she'll be better."

Cissnei clutched her can, eyes staring at Zack who seemed to find his can rather interesting. "You really shouldn't be acting tough at times like this."

"I'm not," Zack shook his head. "I'm just—" he sprawled out in his seat as he pulled his uniform askew. "I don't know how I should act to this," sighing, he leaned his head back, staring at a point in the ceiling of no particular value. "I wanted to be there for her, hold her, console her that everything would be alright but—" he paused slightly. "You should have seen how violently she reacted to the memory of me, Cissnei. She was in serious pain and I don't know what I should do about that," he finally looked down to his can. "My own wife is writhing in pain and agony at the mere fact of trying to remember me. You cannot just expect me to waltz in there nonchalantly, can you?"

Cissnei stared at her friend, eyes trained at the can in which his grip had practically created a small dent. She had never seen him being out of composure before. He had always been the most positive person she had ever seen—and she had seen a lot. The only time that she had seen Zack in such misery was during Angeal's death. And if she had to be honest, Zack had totally gone to Aerith that time. Right now, though, his strongest support—the love of his life—had practically no recollections of ever seeing him. And Cissnei felt her heart broke.

"I have no idea what to do. I don't even know how to react," Zack's voice was low.

"But Vincent said all her tests came back normal. At the very least, we should believe that whatever happened, it shouldn't be permanent," Cissnei reached out to his hand, giving a firm squeeze to assure him. "So just get yourself together. You need to tough this one out for now, until she does."

Zack looked up slowly to meet Cissnei's gentle smile, and for once that day, he thought that perhaps he could be a bit stronger—even if it wouldn't be as much.

* * *

Aerith stirred, opening her eyes to greet the sight of the beautiful hue of sunset fanning across her room. It was almost dark. She had a short nap after visiting hour was over, just after her mother and her friends left. She sighed, shifting herself on the bed. Her sleepy mind barely noticed the rustle in the room before the door opened, and she threw a bleary glance just to find the sight of a sturdy back rushing to leave.

"Wait!" Aerith called out before she could stop herself.

And Zack halted in his hastiness. A short moment of silence filled between them. Zack didn't even dare to turn and face her. His brows furrowed slightly at the implication of her words. Aerith swallowed, blinking her slumber away as she thought of what she should say. Better yet, wasn't him leaving was what she would have preferred?

"You—you don't have to go," she said quietly as she sat up on her bed. She decided that it would be rude for her to chase him out after he had stayed by her side the entire time she was asleep.

He finally turned, a cheeky smile displayed on his lips. "I'd rather not disturb you."

"You're not," she shook her head.

Zack stared at her for some time before deciding to close the door. Scratching his head, he turned back to face her with a soft smile. "Well, your mom will come back tomorrow to see you. She said she needs to sort out stuff before staying with you here."

Aerith looked up to meet his eyes, allowing her to properly see him. Now that she did, she noticed that he was a rather handsome man. He was tall. His dark unruly hair stuck out haphazardly in a very manly way, framing his sharp facial features. And Aerith could not even begin how enticing his bright blue eyes were. Somehow, it seemed bluer than Cloud's.

"You were here the entire time?" Aerith willed herself back to reality.

Zack shrugged. "Well, I might be a nobody to you and the thought of us married my throw you off but to me, you're still my wife. I can't just go home and act as if nothing happen when you're in here, bedridden," he chuckled slightly.

"Excuse me? I'm not bedridden. I can walk just as fine. They just warded me to rest," Aerith huffed in protest, crossing her arms on her chest in a defensive manner. Her head tilted slightly as she leaned forward in her excitement.

Zack grinned at her gesture. She never really changed. She was still the stubborn Aerith who loved to tease and never wanted to lose. "Then rest. I'll wait outside if you're uncomfortable."

She blinked, biting her lips at his thought. She wasn't even sure how to respond to his kindness. Such gesture was rather alienating.

Zack simply smiled at her response. "Vincent said this would be temporary. And I'd like nothing but to get back to normal. But if it means having you doubling over in pain like you did earlier, I'd rather you stop trying to remember."

Aerith's eyes widened. He was still smiling, as if none of these ever bothered him. But Aerith could still see the tinge of pain in his eyes when he forced out the words.

"All I ask is that you trust me when I say that what matters to me most is that you're alright and well cared for. Would that be okay for you?" he added expectantly.

It took her a while to register his request before she finally smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Fair-san," she said, oblivious to the damage the formality of her address was dealing to him.

But instead of showing his disdain, he gave her a shaky grin and nodded. "Good. Then I'll be in the waiting room and check out on you once in a while, okay. Just call me if you need anything," he waved slightly. And in that small gesture of his, the light reflected off the surface of the gold band on his ring finger.

And when the door of her room closed again, Aerith wished she could remember this guy. Not just because she wanted to get away from the pitiful glances from other people. She wanted to know who he was. Because she never met another person who could look in so much pain and still do his best to smile in front of her even though it was obvious to her that it was killing him inside.

* * *

The next two days when Vincent told her that she was fit for discharge, she received her belongings handed back to her. Her handbag was a mess. It was barely recognizable with all the tears and filthy dirt all over it. She thought she could use a new one soon as she went through her belongings. Her phone was scratched and battered, but she was surprised to find out that it was still working. Her dainty fingers wiped out the screen before unlocking to find several messages and missed calls from random people. And she smiled at their concern—not that they hadn't come to visit her. The past few days she had been receiving a lot of visitors that definitely warmed her heart to know how much they care. And she smiled fondly at the thought before closing all menus to put her phone on standby.

She stilled completely when she did.

Right there on her personal cell phone wallpaper, was the picture of her and the man who assured her he was her husband. Her one hand was hugging his neck—her other hand extended as far as it would go as she took a shot of them on her own—, face tucked closely below his head while his strong arms secured gently around her waist. They were smiling so happily. And there was little doubt in her mind that what she saw on it were two people deeply in mutual love with one another.

And she could never get over the fact of how endearing and happy they both seemed.

She wasn't sure what to think. She felt bad enough that she thought that the girl on the photo might just be her look alike. Because there wasn't even a smidgeon of that girl left within her—at least not when it came to him. The last two days after their talk, she was finally able to accept him constantly by her side like a guardian, but definitely not to that extent.

The last item that she took out of the bag was a golden wedding band, which they must had taken off her finger before rushing her to the emergency room. It was covered in dirt and blood, so she wiped it clean with the hem of her shirt before taking a long good look at it.

"Are you ready?" a voice snapped her out of her reverie, and she almost dropped the ring in her startling.

"Yes," she answered pleasantly with a smile, closing her fingers around the wedding ring to hide it from Zack's view. "I'm good to go," she reaffirmed and she stood, striding past him to finally leave the hospital before she could come back for work—since she would be on medical leave for a few days. She could almost swear that the tiny weight of the ring in her hand had multiplied a thousand times over and placed itself heavily like a boulder over her chest.

* * *

It was really disconcerting how familiar yet unusual her own apartment felt to her once she set foot over its threshold. Her mind got foggy whenever she tried to remember why she got the place to begin with, let alone her everyday life there. But as she entered and looked around the premises, her hands and feet found their way as though entirely on their own.

"Sorry, things were not in place the past few days when you're warded. I'm hopeless," Zack put away her belongings as she sat down the couch, making herself at home. And when Zack took off his jacket to hang it somewhere, she finally seemed to get a grasp of reality as she turned to send him a querying glance.

"What?" Zack raised his brows when she continued staring intently at him as he got himself some water from the refrigerator.

She took a second longer before prodding. "You said we're married right?"

"Uh, yeah...?" he mustered his courage to answer nonchalantly at that.

"So this isn't _my_ place, is it?"

He blinked several times before placing his glass on the kitchen counter. She lost him completely there—he had no idea what she meant with that. His bemusement must have shown on his face, because it prompted her to elaborate tentatively.

"It's... _our_ place?"

Zack's brows rose as understanding dawned upon him. He let out a soft chuckle to mask the bitter awkward in his heart. "Yes," he confirmed with a shrug. "I live here."

It was her turn to raise her brows in understanding. He could see how awkward she shifted in her seat at his answer. It was funny how his lawfully wedded wife insinuated with her overall attitude and entire body language that she was definitely not comfortable to stay in their home they had been sharing since past two years—and that she fully expected him to sleep on the couch or that she would as long as they didn't sleep in the same room.

It was the kind of joke that Zack wasn't able to laugh at no matter how cheerful he tried to be in the situation.

* * *

 **A/N:** Special thanks for those who had supported the story especially **ren7720, lightning1997** and **921350** for reviewing the previous chapter. Hope you enjoyed this chapter too. :)


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